Preparing for the Qixing's rite

"Xiangling, let me ask you something. Do you know when Liyue's Qixing Rite of Descension is?"

"The Liyue Qixing Rite of Descension? Oh, right, I would've forgotten all about it if you hadn't mentioned it. Come to think of it, is it that time already? It's in a week. Yucheng, you're from Inazuma, so it's perfectly normal for you to be interested in the Liyue Qixing Rite of Descension."

"Huh? Isn't that the day Rex Lapis delivers his divine decree? It should be a major event in Liyue, shouldn't it? Why don't you seem interested?"

"These days, the people who care about the Rite of Descension are all big names from famous merchant guilds. They say learning the latest divine decree as soon as possible is crucial to their business. But you can get the decree delivered by Rex Lapis from the newspaper offices that very afternoon, so why get up at the crack of dawn and go to all that trouble to grab a spot?

"In all my life, I've only been to the Rite of Descension once, and that was after I pestered my dad for ages before he agreed. Yujing Terrace was absolutely packed that day, and it wasn't any fun at all. I'd rather spend that time outside the city looking for fresh ingredients. I never went again after that.

"Yucheng, are you planning to go and have a look? As a local, I really don't want to go, and I wouldn't recommend it either. But if you insist, I can show you around, and then we can complain about it together afterward."

Seeing the distaste on Xiangling's face, Yucheng felt like laughing. Her attitude was much like that of someone in Shanghai whose visiting friend wanted them to take him to Disneyland, or someone in Beijing whose visiting friend wanted them to take him to Universal Studios.

"It's fine, it's fine. Hopefully, this year's Liyue Qixing Rite of Descension will have something new. Huh? Wait, if Yujing Terrace gets overcrowded, couldn't we watch from Mt. Tianheng? I happen to live on Mt. Tianheng, so I feel like I could see it just by stepping outside."

"Huh? Yucheng, why are you living on Mt. Tianheng? That must be so inconvenient. Do you have nowhere to stay? How about I find you an inn to stay at for now?"

Xiangling naturally pictured a scene in which Yucheng, short of money, had no choice but to find a cave on Mt. Tianheng and scrape by there. Maternal affection instantly welled up in her heart.

"No, no, no. Living on the mountain is pretty nice. The scenery is beautiful and charming, and most importantly, there's no noise disturbing the peace."

"Yucheng, if you're really having trouble, don't be embarrassed. You can tell me. I know lots of people in Liyue. I can definitely help you."

"All right, all right, you little grown-up. I can definitely get by in Liyue, and do very well for myself, too. Anyway, your cooking is as outstanding as ever. The Chilled Meat was delicious. How much is it?"

"No, no, no. How could I charge you? I promised to treat you back then. It's just a shame there's so little of this Chilled Meat. After all, that breed of frozen wild boar has been extinct for hundreds of years."

"Huh? That doesn't sound right. I remember there being quite a few of those frozen wild boars on Dragonspine in Mondstadt. Isn't that where you found this Chilled Meat?"

"Huh? No. After we defeated the Cryo Regisvine, we found one in its lair. I thought finding even one meant the heavens had blessed me. So there are more on Dragonspine?"

"Yes, and there's also a Boar King still living on Dragonspine. It's much bigger than an ordinary wild boar. Though I don't know whether anyone has hunted it down."

"Wow, what a huge missed opportunity! A huge missed opportunity! I shouldn't have come back so soon. Oh well, I'll find another chance next time."

"Oh? You're not rushing off this time?"

"Hehe, my dad gave me a talking-to. Actually, when I brought the refrigerated meat back to him, he took one look and lost interest. He didn't care how delicious the meat was or how lovely its marbling looked. He only said one thing to me: 'Good meat, but it doesn't belong at Wanmin Restaurant.'

"But when I told him I'd reached a pork supply agreement with the hunters in Springvale, my dad was delighted. He said those were the kinds of ingredients Wanmin Restaurant was after.

"Only then did I realize that, good as Chilled Meat was, its scarcity and high price meant Wanmin Restaurant's customers couldn't afford it. Only the customers at Xinyue Kiosk and Liuli Pavilion could afford ingredients like that.

"But Springvale's wild boar meat is different. Although it's a little inferior to Chilled Meat in quality, it costs less than a tenth as much, and there's a reasonably good supply. Even if transporting it over such a long distance raises the price a little, it's still within our customers' means. That's what we at Wanmin Restaurant are after.

"So, Yucheng, no matter how good the meat of that frozen Boar King you mentioned might be, if it can't end up in our customers' stomachs, even the best ingredient is useless."

Hearing Xiangling's words, Yucheng couldn't help applauding her, readily giving her a thumbs-up. "Master Mao is remarkable, and so are you for understanding that, Xiangling."

Xiangling grew a little shy at the praise and grabbed Guoba, who had been watching from the side, to hold him in front of herself.

In the end, Yucheng hadn't managed to pay for lunch. By the time he finished eating, the lunch rush had arrived at Wanmin Restaurant. Upon spotting Xiangling, the regulars all asked for her by name to cook their dishes, making no attempt to avoid Master Mao's resentful gaze from the side.

You sneaky lot. The moment Xiangling comes back, you find every excuse to turn your noses up at my cooking. Just wait until she goes out again. I'll show you.

After leaving Wanmin Restaurant, Yucheng began considering his next move. This year's Liyue Qixing Rite of Descension would be quite a spectacle. If he couldn't gain something from this upheaval, his status as a transmigrator would be wasted.

The Fatui Harbinger [Childe], who had arrived today, was merely a front in plain sight. He did the most work and took the worst blame, only for [La Signora], operating in the shadows, to steal the credit. What a true-to-life picture of being an employee. At that thought, Yucheng felt Tartaglia deserved better.

How about turning up the pressure on Tartaglia a little more?

The [Gnosis], however, was out of the question. Whoever took that hot potato would become an enemy of all of Snezhnaya, and might even offend Rex Lapis.

The Anemo Archon Barbatos had held back an entire ocean's worth, letting La Signora forcibly take his Gnosis. To retire, the Geo Archon Morax had deliberately offered his Gnosis as a bargaining chip, handing that hot potato to La Signora as well.

The gods' complete lack of attachment to their [Gnoses] showed that these things were nothing good. Since the Cryo Archon had designs on these Gnoses, they could go to her. They couldn't ask for better. Why not exchange a useless Gnosis for something they needed?